


River's Edge

by misura



Category: The White Mists of Power - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Genre: Angst, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-03-01 17:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13299624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: Staring down at Seymour's hands, Byron experienced an all too familiar mix of emotions. (missing scene)





	River's Edge

**Author's Note:**

> kinda sorta my first draft for [Laid to Rest](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12547528), in a very vague way (hence the backdating)

Staring down at Seymour's hands, Byron experienced an all too familiar mix of emotions.

Anger, at the people who had forced Seymour to risk casting such a dangerous spell. Frustration, at not being able to do anything but stand by and watch as someone he cared about suffered. Fear, that he might lose someone he had come to think of as a friend and an ally.

He had not yet told Seymour his full, true name. Seymour had never asked, either, even though Byron knew that Seymour had seen the tattoo.

It wasn't a matter of trust. Byron trusted Seymour completely. But he wasn't sure that when Seymour discovered who Byron really was, it wouldn't change things between them, and he _was_ sure that he had come to value Seymour's friendship too much to want to risk losing it by sharing something Seymour had never asked him to share.

Clearly, it didn't matter to Seymour what Byron's past was, or whom his parents had been.

When Seymour had risked his life to save Byron, he hadn't done it to save anyone special. The first time, in the woods, he'd simply done it to save a stranger.

This time, he'd done it to save a friend.

Byron wished there was some way he might return the favor. That there was something he might steal, or someone he might charm with his music, or fool by putting on fancy clothes and pretending he was an important Lord, so that they'd fix Seymour.

Instead, as had happened so often before, all he seemed to be able to do was watch and wait, and hope, but Byron didn't put much stock in hope. Too often, he'd been disappointed, or seen other people's hopes get dashed by reality, by people in power not living up to the hopes of the people they were supposed to rule and protect.

Hope didn't feed the hungry. Faith didn't turn a cruel master kind. A desperate need for change alone was not enough to bring that change about, as long as the lords and ladies of the land willed themselves blind to that need.

Even if Seymour survived, he might never regain the full use of his hands. And while Byron would willingly spend the rest of his life acting as Seymour's hands, he knew that if he did so, it would mean giving up the last bits of hope he had himself. The plans he had made were too dangerous to take along someone as hurt as Seymour was.

The alternative would be to leave Seymour behind, in a safe place. Byron had found such places before, for other people. He might visit every once in a while, when there was time and opportunity, and with every visit, he'd see Seymour change, until one day Seymour would have turned into someone who had once been his friend, and then Byron would stop visiting. And he'd have lost yet one more friend.

Seymour would probably tell him that he was fine with Byron leaving him behind. That he didn't want Bryon to worry so much. That what had happened to Seymour wasn't Byron's fault. That it was just one more proof that Seymour would never be the wizard his father had been.

From what Byron had heard, that last was probably true.

Seymour was a much better, much kinder person than any father who let his son grow up thinking he was a failure and a disappointment who would never amount to anything.

*

For a while, there had been fire and pain. Now, there was peace.

Seymour felt like he was floating. Some distant part of him knew that something was wrong, that soon, he would need to stop floating and return to the fire and the pain, but for now, he was all right.

He wondered if Byron was angry with him - or worse: disappointed. As his father had been.

Byron had never seen him screw up before, after all. When Seymour had rescued him from Dakin's dogs, Byron might even have been impressed.

Seymour had been a little impressed himself, during those moments when he hadn't been worrying about the future, about having to leave behind the nice, quiet life he had created for himself.

Life with Byron had been anything but quiet, even if it still had been nice. Seymour had never thought of himself as a person who needed company, who liked being around other people, or whom other people might like having around. Byron had changed that.

Byron had made him feel like there was someone in the world who valued and appreciated him. Who cared about who he was. Who didn't care that he was only an eighth class magician who would never rise to a higher rank.

Seymour knew that there were things Byron hadn't told him. That was all right. Knowing that Byron cared about him and liked having him around was enough for Seymour.

If Byron also planned to overthrow the ruling lords and ladies, or even travel to the palace to talk to the king, Seymour was just as happy not knowing the details of such plans. He had no doubt that Byron would tell him if there was anything he wanted Seymour to know or do.

He also had no doubt that Byron would succeed at whatever he set out to do. Possibly, he shouldn't - getting killed by Dakin's dogs couldn't possibly have been a part of any plan, after all. Still, when Byron talked about the changes he wanted to bring about, it was impossible not to agree with him.

Seymour knew that he wanted to stay by Byron's side. Even if there was nothing he might do to help, he still wanted to be there. He wanted to see the expression on Byron's face when Byron reached his goal.

He wanted to see Byron happy.

He wasn't going to see Byron happy if he stayed here.

He didn't want to see Byron disappointed with him.

He wasn't going to see Byron disappointed with him if he stayed here.

Seymour knew that sooner or later, he would need to go back to the fire and pain. He would need to face up to the consequences of his failure.

_But not yet. For now, I can stay here. Just a few more moments._

And then the Enos was there.

*

Colin looked impressed and a little scared.

Colin was a stupid kid who'd probably never seen an Enos before. Afeno hadn't either, but he'd heard enough stories about them to know there was no reason to act like a scaredy cat.

Afeno didn't think he'd ever heard about an Enos actually showing up to help someone. Then again, he'd also never met someone like Byron, so he figured that if anyone might talk them into it, it'd be him. Byron was pretty good at talking people into things.

Not Afeno, obviously. Afeno was here because he wanted to be. Nobody'd talked him into anything.

Seymour, now - Afeno wouldn't blame him for wishing he'd never met Byron. Those hands of his looked pretty bad. Afeno didn't know why Seymour had joined Byron, or what Byron had promised him, but he didn't think any promise could be worth losing your hands for.

Of course, love was supposed to make people do all sorts of stupid things.

Afeno'd definitely heard of people losing worse things than their hands for love. Granted, they were usually people a lot more important than Seymour. They were lords and ladies. Important people.

Dead people.

Afeno's hand clutched his dagger. He had no intention of standing by and watching either Byron or Seymour get killed. It would ruin everything, all the hard work he'd put into getting where he was right now, which was a good place to start looking out for a better life for himself. One where he'd never again need to worry about getting enough coin to buy food, or finding a safe place to sleep.

Once he'd gotten what he wanted, he couldn't care less about what would happen to Seymour or Byron. Or Colin, for that matter.

He'd walk away, pockets full of coins, and never look back.

_Just you wait._


End file.
